Public Defender

Message from Public Defender Tracie Olson

Welcome to the website of the Public Defender of Yolo County.

In the landmark 1963 case of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution and held that a fundamental and essential prerequisite to a fair criminal justice system is the right to be defended by competent and effective lawyers. The Court stated, “… reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth.”

The Yolo County Public Defender’s Office provides legal services to adult, indigent persons accused of felony and misdemeanor criminal violations; juveniles prosecuted for alleged conduct that would be criminal if they were adults; proposed conservatees in mental health(conservatorship) cases; individuals involved in juvenile dependency proceedings in which court supervision of minors is sought due primarily to allegations of child abuse or neglect; and other persons whose liberty or parenting interest may be affected by the government.

As the Public Defender of Yolo County, I am proud of the commitment of our office to provide services mandated by the constitution, statutory, and decisional requirements of law that guarantee indigent people the effective assistance of counsel before the courts. The attorneys, investigators and support staff of this Office seek to ensure that quality representation is not compromised by the economic status of the accused.